Montgomery is expected to take over as the Lions' goal-line running back in 2023 in addition to sharing work with Jahmyr Gibbs on early downs, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.
Detroit opted to overhaul its running-back room this offseason, bringing in Montgomery on a three-year, $18 million deal in free agency and selecting Gibbs in the first round of the draft while bidding adieu to Jamaal Williams in free agency and trading D'Andre Swift to Philadelphia. Montgomery will essentially be serving as the Williams replacement, a role that could be fruitful after Williams led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022. While he shouldn't be expected to see nearly as many goal-line carries as Williams did a season ago nor cash in on those opportunities as frequently, Montgomery would be a worthy investment for fantasy managers if he can reach half of Williams' touchdown total from a year ago. And while the Lions envision the talented Gibbs holding a key role on offense right out of the gate, the coaching staff may take advantage of the rookie's pass-catching skills by deploying him in the slot as well as out of the backfield. As such, there may be scenarios where both Montgomery and Gibbs share the field, and the former should be much more involved in the passing game than Williams was in his lone season in Detroit. Montgomery averaged three catches per game and 6.6 yards per target over his final three years in Chicago, while Williams recorded just 12 catches in total and averaged 4.6 yards per target while playing the full 17-game slate in 2022.